Natural Disasters Exam 2
at least 48 hours prior to the expected landfall of a hurricane
A hurricane watch or tropical storm watch is issued by the National Hurricane Center in the United States
El Niño
A phenomenon referred to as the Indian Ocean Dipole describes a condition in the positive phase comparable to
permeable or impermeable, depending on the degree to which pores or cracks are connected to one another.
A sediment that has 20% pore space will be expected to be
drawdown
A sinking of the water table from the overuse of groundwater is referred to as
deepen existing wells to reach the new water table levels
A viable solution to restore the use of water wells in regions that have experienced drawdown to levels below well bores is to
a portion of land that channels rainfall and snowmelt into a common outlet (river, lake, or other body of water.)
A watershed is defined as
Yes, regions of higher pressure develop beneath regions of colder, denser air
Although the average atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7 pounds per square inch, is it possible that variations on Earth may occur?
permeable.
An aquifer is
an advancing cold front overtakes a warm front.
An occlude front forms when
Yes, aerosols serve as the nucleus for water vapor to collect to form precipitation droplets.
Are aerosols in the atmosphere beneficial?
Yes, along lakeshores., Yes, in mountainous regions., Yes, along coastlines of oceans
Are there morphological features of the Earth that can amplify winter hazards?
supercell thunderstorms exhibit rotating updrafts, while ordinary thunderstorms do not exhibit rotating updrafts
As formally defined by meteorologists, the difference in a supercell thunderstorm versus an ordinary thunderstorm is that
?
At what temperature may the human body first begin to feel the effects of hypothermia?
the weight of the column of air above a location.
Atmospheric pressure is a result of
troposphere
Clouds in the Earth's atmosphere occur in which layer of the atmosphere?
surface morphology, climate, bedrock parent material, organisms interacting within soils
Different types of soils exist due to spatial and temporal variation on the Earth related to
No, the atmosphere is well mixed, so the composition of air pollution is essentially the same everywhere.
Does the composition of pollutants in the atmosphere vary from place to place on Earth?
air parcels expand because they are losing heat to the ambient air
During adiabatic expansion,
springs
During prehistoric time, people were only able to directly use groundwater flowing to the surface at regions known as
horizontal winds that are greater in one direction
Dynamic pressure results from stresses imposed by a moving fluid. In the atmosphere, moving air exerts a dynamic pressure that is a result of
less than 0.05% salt content.
Freshwater is defined as water having
the body restricts blood and heat flow to extremities to conserve core body heat
Frostbite occurs in humans because
10-15 meters above the surface
Ground blizzards typically affect elevations as high as
cool air rushing to the base of a thunderstorm
Gust fronts develop due to downdrafts that form in thunderstorms. They result from
Cyclones rotate clockwise; hurricanes rotate counterclockwise
How do cyclones in the southern hemisphere differ from hurricanes in the northern hemisphere?
15,000-30,000 amperes
How much current (in the form of amperes) is generated in a typical lightning stroke?
accumulations of ice on surfaces are much heavier than accumulations of snow on surfaces
Ice storms may result in damage to the infrastructure, widespread power outages, and the disruption of life because
Air Quality Index
In the United States, advisories are issued to the public about air quality based on levels of harmful pollutants present in the air, and are referred to as the
4,000
In the United States, approximately how many damaging hailstorms occur on a yearly basis?
porosity
In the figure below, the total volume of open space between sedimentary particles are referred to as
Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico interacts with cool air from Canada over the mid-continent
In the figure below, what is the reason tornadoes in the United States are concentrated along the so-called 'Tornado Alley' during the spring and summer months?
at the geographic poles
In which region of the Earth would you expect to see the greatest influence from the Coriolis effect on wind?
Clear skies
In zones of high atmospheric pressure, winds result from descending air at higher altitudes, promoting
No; Coriolis forces at the equator are too weak to initiate rotation, so hurricanes never form in these areas
Is it possible for large thunderstorm clusters forming in equatorial regions (5 latitude) to evolve into hurricanes?
Yes, all of these can damage a recharge area.
Is it possible to damage an aquifer's recharge area?
Yes, carbon dioxide is necessary for plant photosynthesis.
Is there a benefit to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
There are no criteria; conditions vary according to region
Meteorologists refer to cold waves as events in which temperatures drop, based on which of the following criteria?
typically, the most destructive form of tornado.
Multiple vortex tornadoes are
100-400 years
On average, how long does it take to form a cm of soil?
electrons flow from the ground to the anvil portion of thunderstorms
Positive-polarity cloud-to-ground lightning strokes form because
Air masses are rising within the rainbands and descending the gaps between the bands
Referring to the figure below, is there a difference in the air flow within rainbands compared to the gaps between the rainbands?
glaciers, ice caps, and snow fields.
Referring to the figure below, the largest proportion of the freshwater on Earth resides in
Ice that forms on surfaces make planes more difficult to control in flight.
Referring to the figure below, why do airplanes have difficulty flying in winter weather conditions?
dividing the vapor pressure by the saturation vapor pressure of the atmosphere.
Relative humidity is a measure of the moisture content of air. It is calculated by
many of the large airports have installed sensors to detect microbursts
Since the late 1990s, no commercial aircraft accidents have been attributed to microbursts in the United States. The reason is that
rainwater, organisms, decaying organic matter
Soils develop as a result of sediment modification over time from interactions with
the law of conservation of angular momentum
Spiraling inflowing air accelerates in a hurricane as the air mass approaches the eye of the storm. This is an example of
the surface and near surface realm of the Earth.
The 'Critical Zone' is defined as
the per capita use of water.
The 'Water Footprint' is defined as
wind speeds in excess of 35 miles per hour
The National Weather Service specifically defines a blizzard as a snowstorm that exhibits
maximum sustained wind speed
The Saffir-Simpson scale for hurricane intensity is based on
winds in excess of 93 kilometers per hour, lightning hail > 2.5 cm in diameter, or tornadoes
The United States National Weather Service defines a severe thunderstorm as one that has the potential to produce
None of these; generalizations about the proportions are not valid.
The amount of water vapor typically found in atmospheric samples is approximately
14.47 pounds per square inch
The average atmospheric pressure on the Earth at sea level is
lower levels of dissolved oxygen in waters.
The consequences of eutrophication of water sources are
economic factors, climate, political influences
The distribution of water supplies across the globe depends on such factors as
poor agricultural practices.
The extreme erosion that occurred during the Dust Bowl catastrophe of the mid-1930s in the Great Plains region of North America was a result of
diversion of surface waters from their natural flow paths to the sea
The figure below illustrates the degree of land subsidence that has occurred in the southern part of the state of Florida over the last century. What is a primary cause of subsidence in this region?
Multiple model results are statistically analyzed to develop the most likely prediction, although some degree of uncertainty remains
The figure below illustrates the predicted track of Hurricane Florence in 2018. How are multiple track predictions interpreted?
the bathymetry of the region, the topography of the region, the geology of the region
The level of destruction imparted by the landfall of a hurricane is in part related to
870 millibars at sea level
The lowest barometric pressure ever recorded is associated with Typhoon Tip in 1979, resulting in sustained winds measured at 190 miles per hour. The barometric pressure measured was
storms weaken, lose their structure, and break up
The meteorological term dissipate is used to describe the condition in which
nitrogen
The most abundant gas found in the Earth's atmosphere is
evacuate the region that will be affected by the storm
The most successful strategy for individuals to survive a hurricane is to
snowfall intensity and the amount of time snow falls
The rates of snow accumulation during a storm are related to
thunderstorm-generated straight-line winds
The term derecho refers to
74 miles per hour
The term hurricane is used to describe large, spiral-shaped storms originating in the tropical latitudes of the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans that reach sustained wind speeds of
mid-latitude cyclones that form along the east coast of North America
The term nor'easter is used by meteorologists to describe
a formal statement issued by meteorologists to indicate that conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form
The term tornado watch is
2.0 kilometers and 12.0-20.0 kilometers.
Thunderstorms typically form at altitudes between
dividing the number of seconds counted by 5
To estimate the distance in miles to an observed lightning stroke, an observer can count the number of seconds it takes for the sound of thunder generated by the stroke to arrive. This can be accomplished by
ordinary thunderstorms, supercell thunderstorms, hurricanes, squall lines
Tornadoes are associated with
ast for a day or more, have maximum sustained winds of 37-61 miles per hour, circulate around low-pressure centers
Tropical disturbances evolve into tropical depressions when thunderstorm clusters originating in tropical latitudes
the region hosts the Earth's warmest ocean water during the late summer
Typhoons originating in the western Pacific Ocean occur because
Any condition in which winds exceed 35 mph for a duration of 3 hours over fresh, unconsolidated snow
Under what conditions are blizzard conditions possible?
damage to vehicles from hailstones, crop loss from hailstones, damage to structures from hailstones, livestock that is killed by hailstones
What are the most damaging aspects of hailstorms?
hurricanes
What are the most destructive and costliest storms on Earth?
Freezing rain and/or snow is anticipated to accumulate sufficiently to result in inconvenience and hazardous conditions
What does the term Winter Storm Advisory mean?
Hazardous weather conditions are imminent, including potential snow, sleet, ice accumulation, and winds sufficient to cause damage and life-threatening conditions.
What does the term Winter Storm Warning mean?
Heed official warnings, abandon belongings, and get to a safe place., Monitor weather forecasts if severe weather is possible., Learn how to respond individually in the event a disaster is imminent.
What is the best way for individuals to avoid disaster from thunderstorms, associated lightning strokes, and tornadoes?
Cyclones occur in the Indian Ocean and southern hemisphere; typhoons occur in northwest Pacific Ocean
What is the difference between a typhoon and a cyclone?
sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or higher
What is the distinguishing characteristic that prompts meteorologists to elevate tropical storms to hurricane status?
10%
What percentage of lightning strike victims are killed?
oceanic cyclones
What term do meteorologists use to describe mid-latitude cyclones that form in the northeast Pacific Ocean?
waterspouts
When tornadoes form over water, they are referred to as
Surface soils, rocks, and water are heated by solar radiation; that heat then radiates back into the atmosphere, heating the air.
Where is the heat coming from that warms the atmosphere?
in or near the hook echo
Where is the most likely place for a tornado to form in the figure below?
at the equator
Where on the Earth does the Coriolis force reach zero?
loss of life, reduction in Gross National Product, local economic losses from storm damage, damage to the agricultural industry
Which of the following societal effects have resulted from cold waves over the United States?
collapse sinkholes
Which of the following types of sinkholes is considered the most hazardous?
fossil fuel combustion in automobiles
Which of the following would be considered an anthropogenic source of pollution?
Prevailing winds controlling forward motion differ for each storm
Why are hurricane tracks unique to each storm?
Arid mountainous regions depend on snowmelt for water resources
Why are mountain snowstorms necessary for human survival in parts of the world?
Evacuations are time-consuming, Evacuations disrupt societies, Evacuations are expensive on a community scale, Evacuations are expensive on an individual basis
Why do evacuations pose challenges to areas in the path of hurricanes?
Rising air masses form clouds and precipitation
Why do mountain snow storms occur on the windward side of mountain ranges?
temperature and density contractions of air in the atmosphere, varying pressure gradients in the atmosphere, Coriolis forces
Why do winds blow?
he preparedness of governments to deal with extreme winter conditions, the lack of preparedness of individuals to deal with extreme winter conditions, the lack of preparedness of governments to deal with extreme winter conditions, the preparedness of individuals to deal with extreme winter conditions
Why is hazardous winter weather well tolerated by societies in some parts of the world, while those same weather conditions prove to be disasters in other parts of the world?
Saturation vapor pressures decrease with decreasing temperature.
With reference to the figure above, what happens to saturation vapor pressures as temperatures decrease?
temperature contrasts between polar and tropical regions
With reference to the figure below of a mid-latitude cyclone in eastern North America, why do these weather systems form?
distortion of the polar vortex
With respect to the figure below, what causes cold waves to form?